Di Ming

Chapter 107: Divide the sacrificial meat

At the sound of the imperial bells, everyone turned to look and saw two people leading the way, followed by a large blue-roofed sedan chair carried by eight men, and a group of mounted retainers and guards, entering the square first.

Behind this large sedan chair carried by eight men, there were three smaller sedan chairs carried by four men.

There were four sedan chairs in a row, and twenty sedan chair bearers were needed! Among them were four women with big feet.

Behind the four sedan chairs were three more luxuriously decorated carriages, each adorned with copper bells, flanked by mounted guards on both sides and followed by foot servants.

The entire procession consisted of four sedan chairs, three carriages, twenty or thirty horses, and sixty or seventy people.

It was quite a grand affair, with a large entourage and a huge mobilization.

If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a high-ranking official on an inspection tour.

The surrounding villagers all obediently made way, and some even bowed to the sedan chair.

The once bustling square suddenly became much quieter.

Sumo wrestlers, football players, and ball players all stopped.

At least on the surface, everyone showed respect and welcome to the Zhang family's arrival.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei watched coldly from the crowd.

The Zhang family was the most prominent and wealthy family in Chunhua Township. It was said that they possessed gold and silver that even thieves couldn't move and fields that crows couldn't fly over. Their money was as plentiful as the Big Dipper, their granaries overflowed with rice, their cattle and horses were numerous, and their servants were numerous.

Judging from the grandeur and scale of the event, it was indeed as expected.

The Zhang family is not a nouveau riche; they have been wealthy for sixty years and are considered a scholarly family.

The late patriarch of the Zhang family passed the imperial examination sixty years ago and rose to the position of judge in Zhenjiang Prefecture.

The Zhang family patriarch, in the prime of his life, was a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and currently serves as a fourth-rank prefect in Henan. Prefect Zhang is not yet fifty, and promotion is within reach; he could certainly advance further.

Today, Zhangjia Village has tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, thousands of tenant farmers, several seagoing vessels, and a textile factory with hundreds of looms in the town.

The Zhang family was very familiar with the officials and wealthy merchants in Nanjing, and had extensive connections.

According to Zhu Yin's class classification, he would naturally regard the Zhang family as large landowners, high-ranking officials, and big merchants, far from ordinary gentry.

Ironically, the Zhang family, who were incredibly wealthy, paid only a symbolic five taels of silver in taxes each year!

You say he doesn't pay taxes? That's a real injustice. He did pay them.

You said he paid, and he paid five taels.

To be honest, the average tax burden for ordinary families these days is only about one or two taels of silver.

By this calculation, the Zhang family's tax burden is already five times that of the average ordinary family.

It seems fair.

But is this really fair?

If Zhu Yin has the opportunity in the future, he will resolutely fight against such people.

An eight-bearer sedan chair stopped in front of the stage, and a thin man in his twenties stepped out. Although he had a dignified appearance and a refined, scholarly air, his eyes were dark-rimmed, suggesting he was indulging in wine and women.

He wore pink satin official boots, a tall six-cornered hat, and a gold-embroidered brocade jacket. He held a jade-shaped fan in his right hand and a beautiful maid in his left. He exuded wealth and prestige, displaying the air of a noble young master.

This person is the chief officiant of this year's Autumn Festival, Young Master Zhang.

This young master Zhang, whose full name is Zhang Shixun and courtesy name is Zhaoye, is the eldest son of Prefect Zhang. He is also a scholar who has achieved official rank, making him a proper scholar.

While studying at the Imperial College in Nanjing, Zhang Shixun also took over the family business on behalf of his father, essentially acting as the head of the family.

However, because he was born into an official family and had been pampered since childhood, this Zhang Jiansheng, despite being twenty-five years old, still indulged in sensual pleasures, fine wine, and beautiful women.

Anyway, he was a student of the Imperial Academy with official rank. Even if he failed the provincial examination, he could still obtain an eighth or ninth-rank official position through the selection process of the Ministry of Personnel after serving in various ministries and departments.

As soon as Zhang Shixun got out of the car, his family and children also got out of the sedan chair and were helped by servants to the front of the stage.

But those family members were all dressed in fine clothes, with noble expressions, exuding an air of pampered wealth.

Immediately, a group of people quickly set out armchairs, round-backed chairs, and long tables, respectfully inviting Zhang Shixun and his family to sit down.

Four of the best seats were still empty, including the grand master's chairs.

Zhu Yin wondered to himself, besides the representatives of the Wang and Liu families, who else is in these four empty chairs?

As Zhu Yin was pondering, he saw a group of people approaching from the east and west, accompanied by their entourages.

They were also escorted by large sedan chairs, soft sedan chairs, and mounted guards, making a grand and imposing presence.

The one who shouted:
"Young Master Liu has arrived!"

"Master Wang has arrived!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Young Master Liu and Master Wang got out of the sedan chair one after the other.

Young Master Liu was nearly thirty years old, with a square face, large ears, fair skin, short stature, and a slight mustache.

His eyes were a little puffy, as if he had been indulging in too much womanizing.

He was dressed in a Taoist robe, but with a black Confucian turban, making him appear half Confucian and half Taoist.

Many scholars in the Qing Dynasty wore Taoist robes, but that did not necessarily mean they were Taoist believers.

This young master Liu's name is Liu Yuanchu, courtesy name Taixuan. His grandfather was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who rose to the rank of fifth-grade official. Although his grandfather had passed away more than ten years ago, the family's influence had not declined and they remained one of the most powerful and influential families in the area.

His father was just a student of the Imperial Academy, a ninth-rank official in the Ministry of War. Although the position was small, the Minister of War was the secretary directly under the Minister of War and his advisor. Who would dare to look down on him?
Moreover, Liu Yuanchu was a deputy tribute student of the Imperial Academy. He almost passed the provincial examination two years ago. Everyone said that he was ready and would most likely pass the provincial examination next year.

Notably, Liu Yuanchu was accompanied by an Indian monk with a high nose, deep-set eyes, curly hair, and a dark complexion.

This foreign monk was tall and muscular, dressed in a colorful silk robe made of Indian fabric, and carried an iron staff. He exuded an indescribable aura.

The villagers, especially those who had never seen an Indian monk before, couldn't help but look him up and down with curiosity.

This foreign monk seemed somewhat menacing to them. The women, in particular, dared not meet his gaze.

“Many people,” the foreign monk said to Liu Yuanchu, his Chinese accent quite broken. “Many beauties.”

Liu Yuanchu smiled and said, "Master, just treat this place as your hometown, there's no need to be so formal here."

He appeared to be very respectful to the Indian monk.

The Indian man nodded, uttered a phrase in Sanskrit, and his hawk-like, sunken eyes swept coldly across the women in the crowd, his gaze seemingly hooked and somewhat unrestrained.

When Zhang Shixun saw Liu Yuanchu arrive, he stood up and said with a smile, "Brother Taixuan, you are late, but I arrived a step earlier."

Liu Yuanchu also bowed and smiled, saying, "Brother Zhaoye is the chief officiant this year, so of course you should arrive first. If you are late, who will distribute the meat?"

Zhang Shixun also politely bowed to the Indian monk and said with a smile, "Master Kama, are you also interested in the Autumn Festival of our Great Ming Dynasty?"

The Indian monk said, "That's very interesting."

Clearly, the two knew each other.

Zhu Yin, who was not far away, saw Master Kama and realized that this visitor from India was definitely not a monk.

He is a follower of Hinduism, which is a religion of Indian origin, and has absolutely no connection with Buddhism.

Because Kama is a Sanskrit word meaning the god of desire. Monks would not use this name.

During the late Ming Dynasty, many Indians came to China. The Ming Dynasty mistakenly believed that all Indians who came to China were monks.

Suddenly, Master Nagamo's gaze swept over Ning Caiwei, pausing noticeably for a moment. Then, he looked at her intently for a few more moments.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei immediately sensed each other's gaze.

Ning Caiwei lowered her eyes, acting as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn't noticed.

There wasn't a trace of surprise on Zhu Yin's small face.

The Indian man suddenly beckoned, and a servant girl from the Liu family immediately stepped forward.

He whispered a few words to her, and the maid's gaze immediately locked onto Ning Caiwei, then she nodded.

Zhu Yin captured this scene clearly.

Originally, it was thought that Ning Caiwei's natural feet would not attract the covetous eyes of lecherous men.

Those playboys and纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) were indeed not interested in her.

Unexpectedly, this caught the attention of the Indian monk.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang and Liu bowed together to the approaching Master Wang and said in unison:

"Your nephew greets Uncle Wang."

Since Lord Wang was an elder, the two of them naturally dared not presume to act arrogantly.

Wang Chaoque nodded, returned the greeting with a smile, and said, "My two nephews, after today's grand ceremony, you must keep this old man company and play a few rounds of mahjong, haha!"

Wang Chaoque was a swineherd who loved gambling and was more likely to win than lose, earning him the title of "God of Gamblers" in his hometown.

Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu simply laughed it off and neither agreed.

Just kidding, who would willingly give away money?

Wang Chaoque was a hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a military position held by his family for generations. Although he was a sixth-rank Embroidered Uniform Guard officer, receiving a salary from the imperial court, he had never performed any duties as an Embroidered Uniform Guard officer.

Even his appearance—fair-skinned and chubby with a friendly smile—didn't resemble a martial artist at all.

His younger brother, Wang Chaomian, passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). He is now the registrar of Jiangning County, a position of the eighth rank, and is currently in charge of local affairs.

The Wang brothers, one a scholar and the other a warrior, were veteran local strongmen. Although the Zhang family was currently the most powerful, surpassing the Wang family in official rank and wealth, Zhang Shixun dared not be careless in front of this "Uncle Wang."

Others might not know, but he did: Wang Chaoque was a smiling tiger. When it came to the ability to hide a dagger in a smile and speak sweet words while harboring a dagger in his heart, no one in the village could compare to him.

"Master Kama, please come to my humble abode for a chat when you have time."

Wang Chaoque also took the initiative to greet the Indian monk.

Many villagers didn't understand why the three important figures present treated the ugly and strange foreign monk with such respect, and wondered what the reason was.

Zhu Yin, however, knew it all too well.

What else could it be? First, the Indian monks could teach them those secret arts; second, it was because they could prepare medicine for the monks.

It's a rare commodity, so it's worth hoarding.

These decadent and dissolute nobles are utterly shameless. For the sake of pleasure, they are willing to collude with these foreign scoundrels who come to China to seek wealth and sex.

Behind Wang Chaoque followed a burly man with a sword, who was none other than Gong, the newly hired head guard of the Wang family, who was rumored to be able to defeat ten men.

Just as the three finished exchanging pleasantries, an old Taoist priest wearing a yellow crown and holding a whisk floated over, surrounded by several young Taoist boys.

"Master Guo has arrived!" Wang Chaoque greeted him with a smile, "Amitabha, Brother Guo, what a fine demeanor you have."

Master Guo had an otherworldly air about him, with a long, silvery beard and an extremely appealing appearance.

"Amitabha!" He made a crane-finger gesture with his hand and said with a smile, "Esteemed patrons, I bow in greeting. Brother Wang, how have you been?"

Master Guo is the abbot of Qingyun Temple in this township. Qingyun Temple was one of many Taoist temples built nationwide by order of Emperor Shizong decades ago.

Although not an imperial palace, it was still an imperial Taoist temple with a history, and there were over a hundred Taoist priests in the temple.

This Taoist priest, named Guo Zhenxing, was also a man of distinguished lineage, being a disciple of Tao Zhongwen.

It is said that when he was young, he accompanied his master into the palace and met Emperor Shizong several times. Emperor Shizong was a highly accomplished Taoist master who spoke with great authority, saying that he had "extraordinary features and profound good fortune."

As for whether it's true or false, that remains to be seen.

However, Qingyun Temple is also a local power, and Master Guo is naturally one of its leaders.

When Master Guo saw Master Jiamo, his gaze turned slightly cold, and he made no attempt to greet him.

When Kama saw Master Guo, he sneered and made no attempt to hide his hostility.

Wang Chaoque smiled and said, "Master Guo has arrived, and Zen Master Shandeng should be here soon too."

Zhang Shixun closed his folding fan, pointed west, and said, "Here they come, don't they?"

Everyone turned around and saw a large sedan chair coming from the west, escorted by several monks holding swords.

Sure enough, it was Zen Master Shandeng from Dongshan Temple who arrived.

Ning Caiwei chuckled softly, "It's strange that a monk is riding in a sedan chair. This autumn festival is a Taoist ceremony; is it appropriate for a monk to come here?"

Zhu Yin shook his head and whispered, "These people are called monks, but in reality they are powerful and wealthy. They indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring in secret, and they are also big landowners."

Soon, the sedan chair stopped in the square, and a plump, fair-skinned monk in a brocade robe, with an air of worldly wealth and nobility, stepped out of the sedan chair with an air of leisure.

"Amitabha!"

Zen Master Shandeng clasped his hands in prayer and said with a smile, "Esteemed benefactors, I am late, please forgive me!"

Zhang Shixun joked, "Master Shandeng's arrival is just in time. This pig has just been roasted, and the meat can be divided up as soon as the master arrives."

“Amitabha!” Zen Master Shandeng was not annoyed at all and said with a smile, “Although I am not proficient in Buddhism, I am still a monk. How could I break the precept against eating meat? Layman Zhang is joking.”

When the Indian monk saw Zen Master Shanteng, he nodded in greeting, clearly indicating that he recognized him.

Soon, these important figures were all seated in the best seats, each in a grand master's chair.

Sitting in the very center is, of course, this year's chief officiant, Zhang Shixun.

As for the chief officiants of the early Ming Dynasty, such as village chiefs and elders, they have now become marginal figures and are considered as assistant officiants.

The fact that powerful gentry controlled the power of rural ancestral worship meant that the grassroots level of the Ming Dynasty was their domain.

The families and attendants of these important figures also held very good positions.

As soon as the important figures arrived, many people rushed to the square to grab seats. Soon, the huge threshing ground was packed with more than a thousand people, a dark mass of faces.

Outside the square, even more people arrived and sat in the outer areas.

Zhu Yin and the others had paid the village head in advance to buy good seats, which were also in a relatively good position, so they could see the main stage very clearly.

A large table was also brought up, on which was placed a shrine plate for holding the sacrificial meat.

The shrine plate is rectangular with four corners at the bottom, resembling a small table with a container.

Immediately afterwards, several men carried the roasted pig onto the altar.

There were three pigs in total, roasted until golden brown, with chopsticks stuck in them, indicating they were fully cooked.

The pig's head and pork were all placed on the altar, still steaming hot and emitting a fragrant aroma.

Many villagers in the square began to swallow hard. Those who were poor and rarely ate meat were especially wide-eyed and their throats bobbed.

At three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM), the shaman wearing a feathered crown and holding a banner came before the chief priest Zhang Shixun.

The wizard was followed by two witches wearing feathered headdresses, one carrying an incense burner and the other a copper basin.

"Young Master Zhang," the shaman presented a sacrificial text, "the sacrificial meat is ready, and we can proceed with the grand sacrificial ceremony."

Zhang Shixun did not immediately accept the eulogy, but instead first washed his hands in the witch's copper basin.

After washing his hands, he lit incense in the incense burner.

That wasn't all. At the same time, two servants carried a set of dark robes with yellow skirts, which were sacrificial garments.

This type of shenyi (a type of robe) was a popular Han Chinese folk sacrificial garment during the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Shixun changed into a deep-colored sacrificial robe, washed his hands and burned incense before accepting the sacrificial text. Holding the text in both hands, he slowly walked towards the stage.

At this point, the grand stage became the sacrificial altar.

"Dong dong dong—" The village drums of the Earth God Temple, Mountain God Temple, and Dragon God Temple sounded together.

All the incense burners were burning incense at the same time.

Instantly, the entire scene was filled with smoke and became solemn.

Zhang Shixun walked onto the grand stage, facing the gate of the Earth God Temple, opened the sacrificial text, and read:
"In the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty... the chief officiant, Zhang, respectfully led the congregation in bowing and reporting this, saying with utmost trepidation... We are moved by our sincere devotion and believe that the spirits will surely bless us... We only wish for favorable weather, no locusts or pests... May we receive your grace and blessings, and may the evil spirits be dispelled... We are moved by our utmost sincerity... We humbly request your acceptance!"

After Zhang Shixun finished reading the eulogy, he was burned in the incense burner and turned into ashes.

Then, Zhang Shixun and the accompanying officiants and others performed the rites.

The ceremony is over.

Zhang Shixun turned around, faced the square, clasped his hands in greeting, and bowed deeply.

Then, after the ceremony, he loudly proclaimed: "The gods have commanded me! They have appointed me to speak on their behalf! The people of this land must ensure that the men are diligent in farming and the women in weaving, that they are kind, loyal, honest, trustworthy, filial, and fraternal... Know that the gods see through everything, and those who err in secret..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

At least on the surface, we should put on a show and not act recklessly.

Only that Indian monk continued to sneer, which was quite irritating.

After Zhang Shixun finished speaking in a serious manner, the accompanying shaman handed over the sacrificial knife.

Then, Zhang Shixun symbolically cut a few pieces of meat and handed the sacrificial knife to the person performing the ritual.

Then, Zhang Shixun stepped down from the altar, took off his sacrificial robes, and sat back down on the main seat.

Thus, the simple Autumn Festival ritual is complete.

Zhang Shixun was actually being very perfunctory. According to the system, there should have been other procedures.

The people on the stage cut the meat together, and soon the sacrificial meat was cut into pieces of about two ounces each.

Others wrapped it in lotus leaves.

Then the village chief and elders went up on stage to receive the sacrificial meat in turn, preparing to distribute it to the villagers in their respective villages.

"The sacrificial meat is being distributed!" As soon as the gongs and drums sounded, the entire shrine square was filled with jubilation and joy.

Not long after, Zhu Yin and the others received the still-warm sacrificial pork from the village.

Upon opening the lotus leaf, I found that the meat was small, at most two ounces, but it was very well roasted, only without salt.

However, everyone brought their own salt in advance. Some even brought sauces.

Ning Caiwei was also a little excited.

This is the first time I've ever eaten sacrificial meat.

After we finish eating the sacrificial meat, the village opera will begin!

She took out a pre-prepared seasoning packet from her sleeve, sprinkled it on the grilled meat, and then took a small bite.

good to eat!

P.S.: After finishing writing about the village opera tomorrow, this autumn village opera will be over. Thank you to all my readers for your support, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)